Recently I was reading about the philosophical concept of being and becoming. To put it simply: all of us can value who we are presently, even as we desire to become someone new. I love thinking about this as we close one year and get ready to start a new year. It is a good time to reflect and be grateful for who we are and how we have grown. The past year has been up and down, full of blessings a...  Read More

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.    On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.You have made the nation great;    you have increased its joy.They rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest,    as those who divide plunder rejoice.As on the day of Midian, you’ve shattered the yoke that burdened them,    the staff on their shoulders,    and the rod of their oppr...  Read More

Peter said, “I really am learning that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another. Rather, in every nation, whoever worships him and does what is right is acceptable to him. This is the message of peace he sent to the Israelites by proclaiming the good news through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all! You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism ...  Read More

As Jesus continued on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. He said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him. As Jesus sat down to eat in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples at the table.But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinn...  Read More

Dear Gathering,Christmas Eve is almost here, and I hope you are making plans to join us for worship. Over the course of the year, it is easy to drift from faith. Christmas is a time when God invites us back to what is most important in life. I will be sharing a hopeful message about the power of light shining in the dark. I know that there are a lot of people in our lives who need good news this h...  Read More

“Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,        because his faithful love lasts forever!”That’s what those who are redeemed by the Lord say,    the ones God redeemed from the power of their enemies,    the ones God gathered from various countries,    from east and west, north and south.Some of the redeemed had wandered into the desert, into the wasteland.    They couldn’t find their way to a c...  Read More